I could hear the gulp in her voice. "Yes, sir."
"Thank you. General Myers, you are authorized to prepare as needed for this event. I've been to Fort Polk a few times, but that was twenty-some years ago as a lieutenant. Do you have helicopters there?"
"Yes, sir, and we have already begun moving them away from the storm area.", he answered promptly.
"AWAY!? Why are you moving them away?!"
"Mister President, if a hurricane goes through that area, those birds will be destroyed on the ground. It is standard procedure to move them out of the area, and then move them back in as soon as the weather allows us. I would also add that we are beginning to move more equipment in from elsewhere in the South."
John McCain chimed in at that point. "Carl, he's right. Helicopters and airplanes are very fragile in high winds. We lost a lot of planes at Homestead in Florida during Andrew."
"Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense. I was airborne artillery, so I never learned all that much about flight operations. When will they be able to begin flying rescue missions and supply deliveries after the hurricane goes through?", I asked.
"We'll have to stop at least a day before the hurricane hits, and we won't be able to start up again until anywhere from 36 to 48 hours afterwards, depending on weather conditions and wind speeds. The same goes for any fixed wing flights.", he told me.
"Huh!" So much for any ideas about flying missions right up to the hurricane and right after. "That settles it. We need to start getting people out now! Nagin wants to ride this out and hope he gets lucky. I don't have that luxury. I am going on the air tonight to let people know. Is everybody clear on this?"
I heard a chorus of 'Yes, sir!'s out of everybody, and I let them all go. Then I turned back to the people in my office.
John McCain spoke first. "If this thing wimps out, you are going to look like a five star horse's ass!"
I nodded wryly at him. "John, I am going to look like an ass regardless. I am going to get the personal blame for not stopping a hurricane, no matter what. That's fine. That's why I get the big bucks. The difference is whether I look like a horse's ass with a few hundred people dead, or with a few thousand people dead. Wait until the levees break and the networks begin airing footage of dead bodies floating in the streets!"
"Jesus!", muttered Frank lowly.
"Yeah! We do not need for that to happen! We have two choices here, bad and unbelievably worse!" I looked over at Will, who had been relatively quiet. "Get me time on the networks tonight, all of them, and get me Matt and Marc to help me write a speech."
"Got it!"
I turned to John and Mike Brown. "I want you two to hightail it down there. We can't manage this long distance. John, if I do need to declare martial law, or something else equally drastic, you give me the word. I will back you completely, and take the heat. Hailey and Bob won't give us any trouble, but Blanco's a lightweight, and I wouldn't trust Nagin as far as I can throw his worthless ass."
"Let's hope it doesn't come to that!", John replied.
"I'll need to pack a few things, but I'll be ready by the time the Vice President is, sir.", answered Brown.
"We'll figure it out, Mike. Carl, I need to pack a few things, too.", added John.
I sent the others on their way, and jotted a few notes down for the speech. Matt and Marc came in a few minutes later. As we were going through the speech, I had to take a call from Jeb Bush, the Governor of Florida. We added the panhandle of Florida to the disaster area.
The biggest problem we had on the first go was that in most emergencies, assistance is requested at the local level, and then works its way up. A storm wipes out a town, and the mayor requests help from the state, and if enough of that happens, they request it from the Feds. This time I was ramming it down their throats, and not everybody appreciated it.
Will jumped through hoops and got me on the air that evening at 7:00. By then John and Mike were already on their way to Shreveport. I had spoken to John privately before they left. "Keep an eye on Mike. He tends to think like a politician, so make sure he stays focused. Otherwise, you can speak with my voice. If you need something done, I will back you fully, and take the heat." We shook hands, and he left, to head with Brown over to Andrews.
At 7:00 PM I spoke from the Oval Office, looking as somber and serious as I could.
"My fellow Americans, thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you about a matter of national importance. By now, all of you must be aware that Hurricane Katrina is in the Gulf of Mexico and will be hitting our shores in the next few days. The potential danger that this storm imposes is so great that it will be necessary to take extraordinary measures to deal with it. Earlier today, I spoke with the Governors of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida, the Mayors of New Orleans and Mobile, and the Director of the National Hurricane Center, and many others. As a result of those discussions, it is necessary to take some extraordinary measures.
As of this afternoon, I have ordered a state of emergency declared in the southern halves of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, as well as in the western panhandle region of Florida. In the counties and cities in those areas, a mandatory evacuation order has been issued for all residents. This is not voluntary. If you do not leave on your own, you will be removed to safer areas. As we speak, National Guardsmen and Army soldiers are being rushed to the area to assist in maintaining order and helping in the evacuation.
This is a major storm. I know that many of you in the area the storm will impact have been through other hurricanes before, and believe this will be no different and that you will be able to simply ride it out. This storm is far larger than anything you have ever experienced in the past! It will affect an area from the Florida Panhandle to Texas. Even if you survive the storm, roadways and bridges may well be washed out for days and weeks to come. You need to evacuate, and do it now! By the time the storm hits, it will be too late. I urge everyone in the designated storm emergency areas to immediately prepare an emergency kit and leave the area."
I also gave them some emergency advice from the National Weather Service and FEMA, and then repeated the need to leave. I also told people without transportation to get to a refugee center immediately, as trucks and buses would begin ferrying them to safety. Then I spoke to that part of the nation which was outside the storm zone.
"Many of you now watching this, perhaps most of you, are asking yourselves why I am disturbing your dinner or your regular television schedule for something that doesn't concern you. Americans in Maine or Minnesota or California are wondering why I am making this a national broadcast. It doesn't affect them. The truth is that it does affect you, each and every one of you. This is not a Gulf Coast problem, this is an American problem.
The people in this coastal region are American citizens, as are all of us. We pull together in times of trouble, and now is no different. When a tornado hits the Midwest, a blizzard buries the Rockies, or an earthquake happens in California, we as a people draw together to assist, to help people that we have never met before and might never meet again. This is part of what makes America the great nation that it is. Now that time is coming again. We must all draw together to assist those impacted by this event, and I know, deep in my heart, that we Americans will do so.
So I will let you go now, as our nation's emergency preparedness teams prepare to assist the Gulf Coast. I wish them the best, and my prayers are with them and with the people in the way of this storm. I know yours are as well. Thank you and God bless you."